A Shot in the Dark
by tahmtahm
Summary: This story is a companion piece set between The Ripple Effect and Broken Remnants - the back story of Khan and Rachel Reed. Perhaps instead of shaking his hand, she should have shot herself . . . it would have been so much easier. Chapter 5 - Nowhere to Run.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek or any of its characters, only my OC - Rachel Reed.

A/N: I've gotten a few pm requests about what the background story is for Khan and Rachel Reed (from _Broken Remnants_). This is their background story that is set before _Star Trek Into Darkness_. This story is a companion piece set between _The Ripple Effect_ and _Broken Remnants_.

_A Shot in the Dark_ - Perhaps instead of shaking his hand, she should have shot herself . . . it would have been so much easier than everything that followed.

Chapter 1 - Déjà vu.

**A Shot in the Dark**

Chapter 1

Commander Rachel Reed came into the room slowly and nodded to Admiral Alexander Marcus as he stood watching the man behind the mirrored panel.

Marcus glanced at her casually, "Good morning, Doctor Reed." At least she was wearing her grey Starfleet uniform today and she had her black hair put up - a stark contrast to the last time he'd seen her a year ago.

She gave him a small smile, then focused her attention on the man sitting on the biobed with his ramrod straight back. His black shirt and pants matching his hair, covering most of his pale skin. She swallowed and closed her eyes as memories threatened to overwhelm her.

"Are you sure you're up for this?" Marcus watched her closely. She looked different. She'd worked on this project over a year ago and she'd seemed much more sure of herself then.

"I'll be fine, Sir." she turned to him and nodded confidently - because that's what he expected.

Admiral Marcus stepped into her personal space, "Good, because if you screw this up like last time - I'll kill you myself."

Rachel Reed knew he'd do it too.

Marcus stepped back, "Get to work, Doc. I expect him to be transitioned and working Monday."

"He'll be ready on Monday." she acknowledged.

Marcus left.

Rachel Reed's gaze turned back to the man in the other room. She took a deep breath and made herself a promise. _This time, she wouldn't fall in love with him_.

She went to the door and had it open. She pulled her shoulders back and walked in the room confidently. "Good morning, Commander Harrison. I'm Commander Reed."

He looked over her body slowly, then finally his blue gaze fell upon her face and her very green eyes. "Good morning."

Rachel tried not to let his baritone voice sway her. Instead, she gave him a small smile. "I've been assigned a variety of duties to see that you acclimatize to Starfleet. If you'll come with me, please." She indicated for him to walk with her.

Harrison got off the table and walked with her down the hall. He quickly assessed each section of the building they went through.

She opened up a door and went through. "This is your office. You will be completing your designs here. Once the designs are approved, they will be built upstairs." She waved slightly to the various computers, equipment and PADDS available to him.

She quickly turned and headed down the corridors, past the medical room he'd been in. She had another door open and took a few steps in. "This is your quarters. Living room, bedroom, bath. Not the best accommodations, but it's certainly not the worst." She turned to take him to the cafeteria and found him standing incredibly close. She looked up at him slowly.

"You are not an assistant." he stated.

Rachel couldn't help but smile, "No, but I have been assigned to assist you while you are here." she explained.

He tilted his head slightly, assessing her. "What kind of doctor are you?" he questioned.

"A Social Psychologist."

He nodded, mulling over this information. "What do you usually do in Starfleet - when you're not acclimatizing me?"

"I assist Captains and their Department Heads select the most appropriated crew members for their missions." Rachel explained.

He stepped closer, "So why are you here?" He watched as she swallowed hard, but her gaze didn't leave his.

"I'm here to make sure you make the right decisions."

His eyes narrowed, "You? Do you know who I am?" he sneered.

"Yes."

"Then say my name." he demanded.

She frowned and looked away, "I can not. These rooms are monitored. Saying your real name will initiate a lock down." She looked back up at him. "You are Commander John Harrison."

Khan watched this woman before him skeptically. _Why had she just told him of two security protocols? _She was a doctor, she wasn't stupid. And despite the fact she knew who he was, she was not afraid, or intimidated by him. He reached over and held her upper arm firmly, "How are you supposed to make sure I make the right decisions?"

"By reminding you that Admiral Marcus has what you hold most dear." Rachel hated to say it. Hated to see the way it punched him in the gut.

Khan quickly dropped his hand and stepped back. He closed his eyes as his jaw twitched and his fists clenched. His anger at Marcus threatened to overwhelm him. His hatred for the man that would use his family as leverage against him - just so he'd design weapons for his Starfleet and make it more militaristic. He forced himself to calm down. He would deal with Marcus later. His eyes flew open as he felt a hand on his chest. She was touching him, and she had a look on her face that he couldn't understand.

Rachel had instinctively reached out and touched his chest to calm him down. His eyes flew open and he watched her intently. She quickly dropped her hand, then stepped around him. She cleared her throat, "If you'll follow me, I'll take you upstairs." She headed out the door.

Khan walked beside her all the way down to the other end of the corridor, past the medical facilities and his office again. He wondered if she had a reason for taking him back and forth the hall. It would have been more efficient to start in his quarters and worked their way here, to the stairs. They walked up the flight of stairs and were in another corridor. She led him past a few offices, then took him into the large cafeteria. There was seating for over one hundred, and there were two lines set up to serve food. There was also a rather large salad bar, and another area to the side that held a vast array of items to drink.

"Would you like something to eat now, or after I give you a tour of the assembly room?" she questioned.

Khan noted the room was rather full at the moment. "After the tour."

She nodded and headed back out and down the corridor further. They walked into the massive work space dedicated for the assembly of weapons. All in all, it was about three football fields in length. She indicated the various projects that were currently being produced as they walked around.

"Commander Reed!" a voice called out.

Rachel Reed immediately recognized the man's voice. She turned to face him. "Good morning, Commander Cartwright." The ebony skinned man was dressed in his grey uniform as well today.

Khan noticed that she did not smile at the man, which she did even for the lowly crewmen they had passed in the corridor. She did not approach the man.

Cartwright's dark eyes went to the man beside her. "I'm Commander Cartwright, I'm in charge of the day to day programs we have running in this facility. It's good to have you working with us here, Commander Harrison. I take it Commander Reed has shown you around?"

Khan nodded, "Yes, Commander Reed has been an informative tour guide." he said dryly.

Cartwright chuckled, "Whatever you need for a project, she can get it for you. I'll come by your office on Monday, that way you'll have time this weekend to get yourself caught up to speed." He glanced at Reed once more, then left.

Rachel Reed relaxed slightly when Cartwright disappeared. When she turned, she found Khan once again watching her. She rolled her shoulders, "Food?" she suggested.

He nodded.

They walked back down to the cafeteria and got into one of the serving lines.

"An egg white omelet with mushrooms, bacon, and cheddar cheese, please." she requested.

"And for you, Sir?" the cook questioned.

"The same."

The cook quickly got to work on their meals and handed it to them a few minutes later. They slid their trays down the line and Rachel picked up a bowl of fruit and put it on her tray, then headed to the end. The matronly woman smiled at the two and put in Rachel's order. Rachel placed her hand on the panel and it beeped. Rachel stepped aside and watched as the woman rung his order, then he placed his hand on the panel.

Rachel smiled as he seemed intrigued with the panel. She led him over to the beverage bar as she ordered her coffee from the machine, then put in the cream and sugar. He only took a glass of water. She walked them to a table against the wall and sat down on the bench. She smiled to herself as he sat on the bench beside her so that his back was to the wall as well. "The food is actually pretty good." she assured him as he looked over the omelet.

Khan began to eat slowly, then drank a sip of water. He dabbed his lips, then placed the napkin back in his lap. "How long have you been here, Commander?" he questioned as she set her coffee cup down.

"As long as you have, Commander." Rachel focused on her food and started to eat.

Khan continued to eat, as he thought back to his past few days since he was awakened by Admiral Marcus. He had been held in that medical room until Marcus had deemed him ready to be around others. Khan winced inwardly. It had only taken him two days to be broken by the Admiral. The first day, he'd killed five people - and Marcus had ten of his crew killed in return. The next day, Khan had broken a medical technician's arm - and Marcus had six of his crew killed. Khan had learned his lesson. He could not afford to lose anymore of his family - there were only 72 left. Marcus had said he would have their sentences commuted, and take them to a remote planet where they could live out their lives - once Khan designed the needed weapons and upgraded a ship that was being constructed. Khan seriously doubted that Marcus would do as he promised, but Khan would bide his time and find a way to free his family.

"You are very contemplative, Commander." the woman beside him spoke softly.

_Why did her voice sound soothing to him?_ He looked up and studied her again. _And why was she not afraid of him? _He could easily choke the life out of her, or snap her neck - but she didn't seem to care about the destructive power he had within him. "Just thinking about all that caffeine you have consumed, makes my stomach turn." he said the first thing that came to mind.

Her smile widened at his comment, then she caught herself and looked away. _He'd said that to her before_ - when he'd been awakened over two years ago. He didn't remember that he'd already designed the advanced ship they were building near Jupiter. That's where they had stayed then - on that station. Admiral Marcus had found a drug that wiped his memories and put Khan back into the cryotube for another year, until the ship was almost completed. She had been assigned to Khan then. She'd been different. She'd harbored a hatred for the ship that had killed her father on the _U.S.S. Kelvin_ - and Marcus knew it. When the Section had discovered the _Botany Bay_ over three years ago, Marcus had enticed her with the ability to study Khan. The Eugenics Wars had been the focus of her dissertation. She'd been very manipulative of Khan back then, and everyone else for that matter. But most especially Khan. She had slowly started to see him as the man that was being manipulated, who's family was being used as leverage against him. She'd slowly started to change - he had helped her change. _She couldn't slip up this time._ She suddenly didn't feel like eating anymore. She glanced at his plate and noted he had finished. "Ready?" she questioned as she stood up and picked her tray up.

He followed her to drop off the tray of dishes, then they headed back to the stairs.

She stopped at the landing and looked at him carefully. "You may not go up to any other floor, unless I go with you. It is three flights up to the next floor and there is security." She waited for him to acknowledge her warning.

Khan nodded, then followed her down the stairs.

"No one is authorized to come down to our floor, except Admiral Marcus and Commander Cartwright." she explained. She opened a door she hadn't previously, "This is our gym - not flashy, but it has the requisite equipment." she shrugged.

Khan blocked her way as she turned to leave, "Our floor, our gym?"

"My quarters are across the hall from yours. I will be here until you complete your projects, Commander." She wouldn't look up at him, instead she walked over to one of the treadmills. "I usually run in the evenings, if you ever need to find me."

Khan wondered if she was being kept here as well. "Do you get to leave?"

"No. Everything I need will be provided to me here - it's a perk that comes with the job." She gave him a small smile. "Now, why don't I get you familiar with the PADDs in your quarters, so you can start to review all of those projects?" She walked past him and led him back to his quarters. She quickly went to his desk and picked up four PADDS and brought them over to him. She went over how the PADDs functioned, and how to call up various information.

Khan sat down on one of the plush black chairs in his living room and began to read.

Rachel walked over to the door, "Commander, I know you don't need to eat as much as a normal human, but I insist that you take those breaks. I will come back at 1200, so we can get lunch. If you need me, or have any questions - I'm right across the hall."

Khan watched as she left. He wondered what she'd done wrong to get stuck here with him.

XXXXX

TBC. (Should I continue this background story, or leave it be?)

Reviews are greatly appreciated.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek or any of its characters, only my OC - Rachel Reed.

A/N: I've gotten a few pm requests about what the background story is for Khan and Rachel Reed (from _Broken Remnants_). This is their background story that is set before _Star Trek Into Darkness_. This story is a companion piece set between _The Ripple Effect_ and _Broken Remnants_.

Thank you everyone that is reading/favorite/following this story - especially to Just a Crazy-Man, Silver-ShadowSpark, and Lady Krystalyn for the reviews!

_A Shot in the Dark_ - Perhaps instead of shaking his hand, she should have shot herself . . . it would have been so much easier than everything that followed.

Chapter 2 - What's it like to live in a fish bowl with a genetically enhanced man with no sense of personal space or privacy?

**A Shot in the Dark**

Chapter 2

By the time Commander Reed had come by to fetch him for dinner at 1800, Khan had already read over the current weapons under construction and had familiarized himself on what made these weapons work. He'd already started to catch up on the history of Earth in the 200 years he'd slept. He glanced up and saw her waiting at the door for him. He put the PADD he was reading on the coffee table, then stood up. She'd already chastised him at lunch for trying to bring his PADD to continue to read as he ate.

They made their way to the cafeteria, selected their meals and headed back to the booth that they had eaten their other two meals at.

"I will need pads of paper and pencils." Khan stated after he took a sip of water.

"Anything else?" she questioned.

"Not at the moment." he continued to eat.

That was the extent of their dinner conversation.

Rachel went to her quarters after Khan went back to his to continue reading.

She quickly sent out a message to the Administrative Quartermaster for a wide variety of notepads and pencils to be delivered.

Rachel changed into her black running shorts and tank. She sat down on the chair as she pulled on her socks and running shoes and frowned. Her quarters were as white as a hospital room, and the grey furniture didn't help her mood any. She was seriously starting to think they did the color scheme just to make her depressed. She'd requested a few items be picked up from her apartment, but they'd yet to arrive. Marcus was probably going to make her squirm for a few weeks, just to put her in her place in the whole scheme of things, before he granted any of her requests. She headed to the gym and got on the furthest treadmill. She quickly called up a flat terrain program, then put in her ear buds and started the music. She began with a brisk walk for a few minutes, then she started to run.

Khan was bored. He'd already read over the information he thought relevant in all the files he had access to. He had a few weapons in mind to start designing, but he needed to draw them out first. He walked across the hall and had Commander Reed's door open. He stepped in and looked around, taking note of the layout and the lack of personal items. He went to the bedroom and opened the closet, expecting to find a wide assortment of clothes and shoes. She had a couple of each variation of her uniforms and coordinating shoes, and only five other outfits, though he realized she could mix them. He closed the door and went back into the living room and picked up one of the PADDs on her coffee table and turned it on. It was open to his personal Starfleet file. Evidently, Admiral Marcus had come up with some information - mostly trainings and postings at various places in Starfleet, in order to curtail any questions about why he'd shown up here and started designing weapons. Khan quickly read over 'John Harrison's' file, then turned it off and put the PADD back down. He picked up another one and found a bunch of other officers' files. He wondered where she was, then he remembered she said she ran in the evenings. He went back to his room and changed, then headed to the gym.

He stepped into the gym and watched as she ran on the treadmill. She had good form and her breathing was steady. She was evidently focused on her running, because she hadn't taken note of him coming in. Khan walked over to the other treadmill and quickly figured out how to work the machine, then started to run.

Rachel slowed her pace to a walk to cool down. That's when she heard the other machine going. She looked over and noted that Khan was running at a fast pace and not even breaking a sweat. It had always amazed her that he never seemed to exert himself, like he was always holding himself back from showing just how strong he really was. She got off the treadmill as it stopped. She picked up her towel and drank a few sips of water as she rolled her shoulders.

"Do you only run?" Khan questioned as he continued his pace.

Rachel walked closer to him, "Yes - why?"

"You should really do a full circuit workout. You carry a lot of stress in your back - it would help alleviate it." Khan stated.

Rachel frowned, "I wouldn't know what to do on these machines." She shook her head and headed for the door.

"I could train you." he said simply.

Rachel stopped walking and turned to look at him, "Why?"

"It will give me something else to do."

Rachel frowned. She didn't want to be to be an item he could check off on his to-do list each day, but on the other hand she might be able to converse more freely with him while he was training her. She nodded, "Okay."

Khan slowed the machine to a stop, then got off. He looked at her carefully, then walked over to her. "Take off your shirt."

"What?" she looked at him, confused.

"I need to see where your training needs to focus on." Khan pointed out.

Rachel pulled her shirt off and dropped the sweat-dampened shirt on the floor, glad that her sports bra covered her up a bit more than some of her other bras. He walked around her slowly and she found it a little unnerving at just how intensely he was sizing her up. She nearly jumped when he touched her bare stomach.

Khan smirked at her reaction. "Your stomach muscles need attention, they are weak and not supporting your back muscles." He lazily ran his hand around to her lower back muscles and placed both of his hands on her. "Your lower back needs strengthening as well, in fact - your hips are slightly out of alignment." He ran his hands slowly up her back and felt along her spine to her deltoids. "Your posture is good, but it could be better. Working out your upper back will help." He ran his hands down her arms, "Defined, but not as strong as they could be." He dropped his hands and walked back in front of her.

Rachel stood still. She'd been unnerved with his hands running over her - but she was sure it was just his ways of testing her. "Anything else?" she questioned sarcastically.

Khan shrugged as he looked over her lower body again. "You legs and calves are fine, though we'll get them stronger." He looked back at her face. "Lay down."

Rachel raised an eyebrow.

"I'll re-align your hips." Khan stated. She didn't move. "If you don't allow me to re-align them, your walking will be impaired tomorrow." he pointed out.

Rachel sighed heavily as she rolled her eyes, then laid down on the floor.

He kneeled beside her as he manipulated her hips by pressing each leg across her body. He straddled her legs and noticed that her whole body quickly tensed. He placed each of his hands on her hips. "Breath in, then out slowly." As she breathed out, he pressed on her hips and a resounding pop could be heard throughout the room. He watched as relief washed over her face and her body relaxed.

"Thank you." she said softly as she watched him still straddling her.

Khan nodded and stood up, then offered her a hand. He easily helped her stand up. "You should be able to sleep better tonight."

Rachel retrieved her shirt, deciding not to put the sweaty thing back on.

"0600 we will begin your training." Khan directed her.

"Okay." she said and left as fast as she could. She got to her quarters and leaned back against the door as she quickly checked her rapid pulse. Her body felt on fire where Khan had run his hands over her - and damn the man for straddling her. She quickly got her clean clothes and headed to the shower.

She propped her arms against the shower wall as she let the hot water roll down her back. She took slow, steady breaths as she tried to calm her body's reaction to him. _How in the hell was she going to get through this assignment?_ Marcus had made it very clear that her familiarity to Khan on the Jupiter station had jeopardized everything. And Marcus wasn't going to tolerate that kind of insubordination anymore - he'd already threatened to inform the Medical Review Board of her inappropriate relationship with a patient, if she messed up again. She frowned as she turned off the water and wrapped a towel around herself and dried off. She put her sleep shorts and shirt on and kept the towel wrapped around her hair as she headed to her living room to review a few more personnel files before she went to bed.

She stopped when she saw Khan sitting on one of her chairs - clean and refreshed after his own shower. "What are you doing in here?" She headed to her coffee machine and set a cup in it, then pressed the button.

"I came to see what you are doing." he watched her quick movements.

She glanced over her shoulder at him, "Do you always just walk in other people's quarters?"

"Your door was unlocked." he stated simply.

"Should I make it a habit to lock it from now on?" she focused on putting cream and sugar substitute in her cup and stirring it.

"Not like it would stop me if I really wanted in here." he shrugged and watched for her reaction. He raised an eyebrow when she only sighed softly.

"Would you like some decaffeinated tea?" she offered.

"That would be fine." Khan nodded. Her body had definitely reacted to him in the gym. He knew the power his own body had over women. But, she was trying very hard to control her reactions. She was an interesting woman, a good distraction from the other work he had to do here. _What exactly would it take for her to finally give in?_ He smiled softly as she handed him the cup of tea.

She sat down on her couch and folded her legs under her as she sipped her coffee. "Do you require further reading material?" she asked.

"Yes."

Rachel held out her hand for his PADD. She got the distinct impression he wasn't just talking about books. She put in her code and pulled up the library database of literature, then handed it back to him. "That should keep you busy. There are over two thousand classics I just gave you access to."

He sipped his tea as he scrolled through the database on the PADD. "Do you have any suggestions?"

"Start with Melville - Moby Dick." she said as she turned on her PADD and began reading over a few more files.

"Why?"

She glanced at him and smiled, "You'll see." She went back to reading her PADD as he clicked on the database and found the book and started to read. She tried to focus on her work as he showed no signs of leaving. She sipped her coffee as she continued to read. She surreptitiously watched as he quickly read. At points, he would stop and seem amused at something he'd read then take a sip of tea and go back to reading.

She glanced at her watch and sighed softly. It was 2200 and she needed to go to sleep if she was going to get up at 0600 and train - on a Saturday to boot. She stood up, and picked up both of their cups and rinsed them out at the small sink. She turned around and found him just a few feet from her. "Good night, Commander."

"Good night." he gave her a quick nod, then left.

Rachel swallowed hard when the door shut, she'd had a brief thought that he might actually try to stay. She toweled out her hair and ran a brush through it. She set the temperature down in the room and turned off the light. She liked it cold when she slept, then she'd bundle up in the covers. She pulled the covers up to her chin and rolled over and quickly fell asleep.

XXXXX

Rachel frowned as she slowly started to wake up. Why did the bed feel warm by her outstretched hand? She opened her eyes slightly and found Khan in her bed, leaning casually against her headboard and reading his PADD. At least he had the decency to stay on top of the covers. "Why are you in my bed?" she questioned him. She was tempted to push him off, but he would probably enjoy it too much, or be pissed off.

"I came in here to wait for you to wake up. What time were you planning on getting up?" he asked as he continued to read.

"0545 - which it's not yet." she pointed out.

Khan lowered the PADD and looked at her, "You are only allotting fifteen minutes to get ready to be in the gym?"

"It only takes a few minutes to put on my clothes and walk down the corridor."

"Then what else do you need to do?" he inquired.

Rachel rolled on to her back and ran her hand through her hair, "Oh, I'm pretty sure I'll have to go to the bathroom, then I'll get my first cup of coffee." she smiled.

"No." Khan shook his head. "No coffee before your training in the morning - just water."

"I always have coffee when I get up." she narrowed her eyes.

"Your muscles need water, not caffeine."

"Fine." she gritted her teeth and rolled over to her other side and closed her eyes. She tried to go back to sleep for a few more minutes, then gave up. She threw the covers off and sat up, "I'll be ready in a few minutes." she snapped as she headed to the bathroom.

"It's the caffeine that's making you cranky." Khan stated as he lifted his PADD and went back to reading.

When she came out of the bathroom, he wasn't on her bed - in fact he'd made her side of the bed. She sighed and shook her head. She grabbed her clothes and laid them out on the bed. She quickly took off her night clothes and put on another set of workout clothes. She turned and found him standing at the door. "Are you serious? Can you not give me a little privacy?" she questioned.

Khan walked over to her, "There is no privacy in these rooms." he said softly and glanced at the smoke detector and emergency alarm on her wall. He had found the video bugs in his rooms last night. He took a quick look in her bathroom, "That room looks okay."

Rachel's mouth dropped open_. Her rooms were being monitored too!_ Her anger simmered as she snatched her running shoes from the closet and put them on. She went past him into the other room and looked for the device and quickly found two on the walls.

Khan went to her mini fridge and handed her a bottle of water. He could see the anger in her eyes - she hadn't known that she was being monitored so closely. Again, he wondered what she'd done to earn her way down here.

She finished the water quickly and chunked the empty bottle in the recycling bin and headed out the door without waiting for him.

Khan watched as she went in the gym and immediately looked for the visual monitors.

"What's first?" she questioned quickly.

"First, you'll do some controlled breathing to lower your blood pressure."

Rachel took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She should have known that Marcus would have her monitored. She took another breath in and let it out.

Khan then took her around to each of the machines and demonstrated how to use them, then he had her do fifteen repetitions. He continued this process until she'd made her way around all of the machines. He indicated the reclined bench and showed her how to wrap her legs at the edge of the bench, then he demonstrated the inverted sit up.

"Why can't I do regular sit ups?" she questioned, her hands on her hips.

"You will do them, as well. This works out different muscles, which you need to strengthen." he reminded her as he got off the bench and waved for her to get on.

She found it awkward to keep her legs locked around the bench to keep herself from sliding back down. She could feel the blood rushing to her head.

"Now, pull yourself up using your stomach muscles." he instructed.

Rachel closed her eyes and frowned, her muscles were already tired from all of the other exercises she'd done.

He touched her stomach, "Focus on using these muscles."

She found that by him touching her stomach, her mind could focus on controlling the muscle. She managed to do three sit ups, then shook her head. "That's it for now." Her body ached and she'd be damned if she was going to walk hunched over for the rest of the day. She stood up slowly and clenched her teeth as she straightened up.

Khan stood behind her and ran his hands up her back, then pressed on her vertebra and she felt a quick relief of pressure. "Your body will get use to the conditioning. Where else is the pressure?" he questioned her.

"In the center of my back."

He found the spot and pressed again. He saw her body relax.

Rachel turned around slowly, her body felt relieved, not worn out. "How do you know where to press?"

"It is important to know how to relieve pain in your body. I studied the techniques a long time ago." he picked up a towel and handed it to her.

She watched him for a few moments. Why was he being so . . . kind? Why was he helping her improve herself? He hadn't done that last time - though last time he was very focused on the construction of the ship and hadn't even known she ran every night.

They headed back to their quarters and went their separate ways.

Rachel retrieved her all black uniform and clean underwear and headed for the shower. She wondered why Khan had pointed out to her the video devices - was it just to inform her that he knew, that he couldn't be fooled? She got out of the shower and quickly got dressed.

When she came out of the bathroom, Khan was sitting on the edge of her bed.

He looked up and nodded, "You have already changed your habits, which you should unless you don't mind giving a show for whoever is watching."

She ignored his comment, "I'm feeling much better, thank you for asking." She retrieved her socks and boots from the closet. She sat down on the bed beside him and put them on. She looked over at him for a moment.

Khan watched as she put her boots on. She looked like she was going to ask him something, then she sighed. He stood up, "Breakfast?"

She nodded and they went to eat.

Khan watched as the workers came in and ate. He noticed who sat with who, who avoided who, and who surreptitiously watched who. He counted no less than five men look over Commander Reed appreciatively. "You have quite a few admirers."

Rachel looked up as she swallowed, "What are you talking about?"

His eyes indicated a few of the men that kept glancing at her.

She rolled her eyes and went back to eating her fruit.

Khan watched her unusual reaction. He'd always found women pleased that men found them attractive. "Do you not like men?"

Rachel frowned. _She really needed to go over etiquette rules with him_. "Yes, I like men. But regardless of that fact, any one I could be interested in will be deemed off limits."

"You are not allowed?" he raised an eyebrow.

She shrugged, "Not while I'm here." She took a long sip of her coffee and relished the caffeine as it worked its way through her body.

"Why?"

She really didn't want to discuss Marcus' rules for her. She shook her head, "It doesn't matter."

Khan knew that she was as much a prisoner as he was. He just didn't understand why - at least not yet. "What would happen if you decided to have sex with one of them?"

Rachel stood up and left. She put her tray of dishes in the bin and headed back to the stairs. She stopped. Where was she going - back to her quarters where he could just corner her? To the office? The gym? She glanced at the stairwell that headed up and went in. She walked up the three flights and opened the door. She stopped as three guards looked up from their monitors, and two more looked at her as they had people come through the metal detectors in order to get to the stairs.

The Officer in Charge came over to her and smiled softly, "Can I help you, Commander Reed?"

"Where am I allowed to go?" she asked him quietly as she crossed her arms over her chest.

He looked over his PADD and read over her file. He glanced at her again, then kept reading. "You are allowed on the lower two levels of the building. You are allowed access to other offices upstairs, but it must be authorized by Commander Cartwright or Admiral Marcus. You'll need to go back downstairs, Ma'am." He led her gently by the elbow back to the stairwell and opened the door for her.

She nodded and headed back down the stairs. She walked down slowly and contemplated the rotten lot in life she'd been gifted by Admiral Marcus for the foreseeable future.

XXXXX

TBC.

Reviews are greatly appreciated!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek or any of its characters, only my OC - Rachel Reed.

Thank you everyone that is reading/favorite/following this story - especially to Just a Crazy-Man, Silver-ShadowSpark, Lady Krystalyn, and bliss for the reviews!

_A Shot in the Dark_ - Perhaps instead of shaking his hand, she should have shot herself . . . it would have been so much easier than everything that followed.

Chapter 3 - push too much and prepare for the consequences.

*This chapter has a bit of violence, nothing you wouldn't see on a typical crime show - but, just so you know.

**A Shot in the Dark**

Chapter 3

Rachel Reed decided to go to their office and arrange the furniture. She was annoyed that Marcus wanted her in the outer office, like she was just an assistant - she was sure it was just another way for him to degrade her. She stepped in the office and looked around the first room. She pushed the two plush chairs and end table to the right of the room. Then she moved her desk to the left of the room and faced her computer screen away from everyone else's prying eyes. Unless anyone walked all the way around her desk, they wouldn't be able to see what she was working on. Not like she worked on anything extremely classified, but when she noted the placement of the video devices - this was the best spot for her desk. She didn't know how she was going to do it - _but she was going to find a way to screw up Admiral Marcus' plans._ She smiled softly, then headed into Khan - John Harrison's - office.

It was a larger space than the outer office, but then he needed to be able to build models and such, just like he'd done for the ship. She arranged his tables and computers much like he'd had them on the Jupiter station, because she knew he hated inefficiency. She noted his computer was at an angle where the video monitoring devices couldn't see the screen.

She smiled again and wondered if he realized why she'd walked him back and forth in the hall so much yesterday - probably not yet.

The one item she did arrange differently was his drafting table. She purposefully moved it so anyone watching from the video devices couldn't see what he was drawing. She placed the stool near the drafting table, then headed back to her area. She stopped. There were stacks of various notepads and an assortment of pencils stacked neatly on her desk.

_Transporters._ They must have used a transporter because the outer door never opened. If they could transport something in . . . She took a deep breath, then carried the notepads and pencils into his office and put them on his desk.

She heard the outer office door open and turned around slowly.

Khan took a moment to analyze how she'd arranged her office, then he stepped into his. The layout seemed efficient. He noted the notepads and pencils. He walked around to the drafting table and looked around the office slowly. His eyes fell to Rachel. He paused a moment, as if trying to think of how he should verbalize what he wanted to say. "I realize what I said at breakfast could be inappropriate." he stated.

Rachel gave him a small nod. It wasn't an apology, just an observation.

"The layout of this room is efficient." he said as he picked up one of the notepads and a few pencils and went to his drafting table and sat down. He opened the notepad and started to draw.

Rachel went out to her office and sat down behind her desk. She decided to find out just how far her leash stretched. She could gain access to outside news reports - though she was sure it was filtered for her benefit. She could also search through a vast array of databases. She searched for hours to try and find a way to contact anyone in the outside world, but all of the' email' and 'contact us' links were disabled on her computer. She could only contact three people to send messages - Admiral Marcus, Commander Cartwright, and the Administrative Quartermaster. She sighed softly and sat back. She looked up when Khan stepped out of his office.

"It is time for lunch. I also want to visit the Assembly Room afterwards." he announced.

Rachel turned off her computer and they headed upstairs.

They ate in silence, which she was grateful for.

A rather handsome man in a white lab coat came over to their table slowly, "Good afternoon, I'm Doctor Fenton - I work with the Assembly Room. I saw you yesterday, Commander Harrison and I just wanted to introduce myself." He gave them both a small smile.

Khan noted that the doctor's gaze stayed on Rachel a little longer. Khan glanced at the empty chair across from them at the table, "Take a seat, Doctor Fenton."

Fenton smiled brightly and sat down, "Thank you."

Rachel looked at Khan questionably. _What was he doing?_ He didn't like idle chitchat - he found it tedious and useless. She realized quickly that he wanted information from this man. She listened as he cleverly asked the man about his job and where he worked in the Assembly Room, who else he worked with and what they did. By the time Khan was done, he'd learned how many people worked in the Assembly Room, what time the shifts changed, and whole gambit of other trivial information. She smiled softly at Doctor Fenton - the poor man had no idea he'd just had information extracted out of him so eloquently.

Khan noted her smile at the doctor. She'd been quietly listening the whole time. "Pardon my manners, Doctor Fenton, this is Commander Reed - my colleague." he introduced the two.

Fenton smiled, "Nice to meet you, Commander Reed."

Rachel nodded, "And you, Doctor Fenton." She stood up, "Commander Harrison, I believe we have business to attend to." she reminded him.

Both men stood up. Fenton said he looked forward to working with them, then left.

Rachel walked with Khan to the Assembly Room and stopped at the door. "You did that quite well." she commented softly.

Khan turned to her with a raised eyebrow, "A compliment from the Social Psychologists?" He watched her, "How do you make your assessments of people? Do you have to meet with them, talk to them face to face?"

"No. Maybe I'll show you later." They had been standing at the door too long and someone was bound to notice. She noted a Security Officer coming their way.

"Can I help you?" he asked them.

Rachel smiled, "We were trying to decide who to see first, prototype development, or model rendering." she explained.

The Security Officer smiled, "I'll make it easy for you, Anderson, the guy that does the model rendering is at his kid's birthday party today. Hoskins is here at prototype development."

Rachel nodded, "You have been very helpful, Agent. . .?"

He grinned brightly, "Agent Sean Joss, Ma'am."

"Thank you, Agent Joss. It's around the corner to the right, correct?" she checked.

Joss nodded, "Yes, Ma'am. Have a good day."

They started to walk to the area for prototype development.

"Flirting with the boy will get him . . . what? Removed from his post?" Khan questioned her quietly as they walked.

"No." Rachel shook her head. "I can flirt. He'll be fine. I'm just not allowed to touch anyone."

He stopped walking, "Why?"

"I'll discuss it with you later." Rachel stepped closer to him, keeping her hands loosely together behind her back. "How long did it take for him to reach us?"

Khan sighed, she was changing the subject. He started walking again, "Thirty seconds. Ten seconds to reach us, that means if we stand anywhere for longer than twenty seconds, they will see what we're up to. You were testing them? Why?"

She ignored his question as they came to the area partitioned off for prototype development. She glanced at the portly young man with unruly brown hair and smiled gently, "Doctor Hoskins? I'm Commander Reed and this is Commander Harrison." she introduced them.

He stood up from his hunched over position at his computer screen and smiled brightly as he came over. He stretched out his hand.

She smiled and shook it firmly, then let it go. She glanced at Khan, "Commander Harrison prefers not to shake hands, Doctor - if you'll excuse him." she said when Khan didn't shake his hand.

Khan nodded to Doctor Hoskins and walked around the prototype on the table, "This is the new portable laser cannon?" he questioned the man.

Hoskins nodded quickly and showed him the prototype, "I'm afraid we're having a problem - the inner chambers can't take the heat, rendering it useless after three shots." he explained.

Khan nodded, "I noted the design failure when I was reviewing it earlier." He took out the small notepad from his pants pocket, then ripped off the page that he had made some notes on and handed it to the man. "I believe this will work."

"Commander Reed." Cartwright called her attention from outside the partition.

Rachel was hoping he'd be here today. She walked over to him slowly, "How can I help you, Commander?"

"You know you aren't allowed to touch anyone." he reminded her.

"What was I supposed to do?" Rachel questioned him, eyebrows lifted.

"Be rude, I don't give a shit what excuse you give them - or don't give them one!" he demanded in a whisper. He stepped closer to her, "If I find out you've influenced Doctor Hoskins in any way - I'll happily inform Admiral Marcus."

"I didn't do anything to him - I just shook his hand." she stated firmly. She shrugged, as she ran her hand over her face, then smoothed out her hair. "Besides, you know I prefer to talk people into doing what I want them to do." she pointed out. She had a bit of an ability when she touched people to influence them to do something. It didn't work all the time, and it only worked on humans, and of course - it didn't work on Khan. It didn't seem to matter if other people touched her, just if she touched them. But, she had learned a long time ago that speaking to people worked much better. She'd learned over the years how do get people to think they came up with solutions themselves, or make decisions for themselves - when, in reality she'd been leading them to it all along. The only people that knew what she could do were in the Section - and Marcus had her use her ability at times for his purposes.

Commander Cartwright frowned, he knew all too well that she could easily get people to do what she wanted, just by talking to them. He'd seen the videos. "Just don't touch anyone anymore." he directed her.

Rachel looked him over slowly. He'd tried on no less than three occasions in the past month to get her to go out with him, "I guess that means you, too. Too bad, Commander."

Cartwright almost slapped her, but Khan caught the Commander's hand then quickly dropped it. Khan looked at the Commander through narrowed eyes, "I don't think you want to cause a scene here, Commander Cartwright."

Cartwright took a deep breath. He looked at Rachel Reed and she smiled slowly. "You wanted me to hit you?" he questioned her. Cartwright's eyes turned furious, "Why?" he demanded as a few Security Officer showed up and he waved them off.

"Maybe to see if you'd really do it, maybe to see if anyone would stop you, or maybe to see if Security would notice. It doesn't matter _why_." She shrugged and turned to Khan, "Are you done Commander Harrison?"

He nodded, "I will give Anderson my notes on Monday."

Cartwright glowered at her complete disregard of his authority, "I will be informing Admiral Marcus of your infractions, Reed."

She smiled, "Fine - in fact, why don't you suggest that Admiral Marcus pay me a visit so I can talk to him myself?" she suggested. She turned and they left the Assembly Room.

They walked down to their floor and back to the office.

Rachel took a deep breath and closed her eyes briefly.

"Should you be pushing Cartwright?" Khan questioned as he watched her calming down.

She gave him a small smile, "I have my reasons."

He moved closer to her, "So, you're not allowed to touch people because you can influence them." It was a statement. "You seem very capable of influencing people when you talk to them."

Rachel nodded.

"Can you influence me with your touch?" Khan questioned her.

"No - you are immune, so are other species." she shrugged.

"How do you know you can't influence me?"

Rachel swallowed, "Before you were completely aware of your surroundings, Marcus had me try." she shrugged. She couldn't tell him that she'd tried quite a few times over a year ago.

Khan studied her for a few more moments. He thought quickly over the past 36 hours, "But, they don't mind if I touch you - why is that?"

She sat down on one of the black plush chairs in the outer office, "They don't really care what happens to me. As long as I'm useful, I get to live here and help you while I also continue to do my other job."

"What are they holding over you?" he questioned.

"I have a very big family, and seventeen of them are in Starfleet. The last time I saw any of them was over two years ago." she frowned slightly.

"Don't they wonder where you've been?" Khan raised an eyebrow as he sat down. _Two years_. She'd been under Marcus' control for two years.

"They send me messages. After the message is reviewed, I get to reply - which is analyzed, then it is forwarded to them. Sometimes I even get to do a video call, though it is carefully monitored." Rachel watched as Khan digested this information.

"What does Marcus want you to do in order to leave?"

"Get you to make the right decisions. Make sure you design the weapons he wants." she stated simply.

"But you said it's been over two years - what did he have you do before?"

"I can't talk about my previous projects."

"You obviously didn't succeed." Khan pointed out.

She nodded, "Obviously. But, I've been given a chance to redeem myself."

Khan leaned closer, "I will design the weapons he wants, but not because of you." He stood up, "Did you think your heart breaking story could influence me?" he questioned.

Rachel shrugged, she knew he'd see through her tactic - but he'd probably think less of her if she didn't try. She stood up, "As long as you design the weapons, Marcus will be placated."

Khan moved to go past her, "Do you really think he'll let you leave?" he whispered. He didn't wait for a reply, he just walked to his office and sat down at his drafting table.

She watched as he started on another design. _She knew Marcus would never let her leave, she already knew too much about everything he'd done in violation of Starfleet's regulations._ She walked to the threshold of his office door. "If you don't need me anymore, I'm going to my quarters."

He waved her off, not even bothering to look up.

Rachel turned and left.

XXXXX

She looked at her watch - 1815. She hadn't bothered to go to dinner with Khan, if he'd decided to go. She didn't care at the moment. She sipped her coffee and continued to review four possibilities for the Head of Security on the _Ironclad_, a new ship almost completed that had been in the Dock Yards when Nero attacked last month. She looked up as her door opened.

Commander Lance Cartwright walked in and gave her a very unnerving smile.

"What do you want?" she kept her voice even and remained sitting on her couch.

He looked around her quarters, "Love what you've done to the place." he said sarcastically. Then, his gaze focused back on her. "You didn't go to dinner with him."

"I was instructed that I had to go with him to the upper floors, I was not told I had to eat every meal with him." she stated. "Do you think he'll choke on his food, or hurt someone?"

Cartwright sighed heavily, "He makes people nervous the way he stares at them."

Rachel smiled, "That's because he's thinking of all the ways he could kill them."

Cartwright shook his head, "They seem to not notice as much, if you're with him. From now on, you will accompany him when he eats." he directed.

She stood up and nodded, "Is he still there?"

"Yes." His smile widened as he looked her over as she stood up. "But, right now, you and I are going to have a private discussion." He stepped closer to her and snatched her throat, "You will never, ever try to influence me again - do you understand?" he demanded as he squeezed her throat tighter, cutting off her oxygen flow.

Rachel nodded slowly. She knew she couldn't lay a hand on him and fight back - she'd already found out over a year ago what would happen when she fought any of them.

He let go of her throat, then slammed his fist into her stomach. He stood up as she sank down to the floor. "Don't disrespect me again." He waited for her reply.

She wrapped her arm around her stomach protectively, "Yes, Sir." She closed her eyes tightly as a wave of nausea washed over her.

"There, there dear Rachel." He held her arm and pulled her up. "Pull yourself together and I'll walk you upstairs."

Rachel took a slow breath and stood up straighter, then slowly walked to the door. She'd be damned if she cry in front of him.

Cartwright smiled as he walked beside her, "See, not so hard to do."

She breathed through the pain as they climbed the stairs and she reached for the bar to open the door to the next floor.

He put his hand on hers and backed her against the wall, "If he finds out about this, I'll have to teach you another lesson." His other hand pressed her stomach where he'd hit her.

Rachel clenched her teeth, "He won't find out from me."

He smiled and dropped his hands, "Good." He waited for her to open the door for him.

She was tempted to test fate and just shove him down the stairs, just to see if she could kill him. But, she had her family to protect. She swallowed her pride and held the damn door open for him.

He nodded and smiled to enlisted and officers as they passed by. He walked her to the cafeteria door. "Have a good evening, Commander Reed."

She gave him a small nod, then walked slowly through the line to get her food.

Khan had noticed her going through the line and his eyes narrowed. Something was wrong with the way she was holding herself. He continued to watch as she got water, then came over to the table. "I did not think you were going to eat with me tonight." he commented. He watched as she sat down gently.

"I've been informed that you scare people the way you look at them. I've been added the task to eat each meal with you." Rachel stated and focused on eating her food.

Khan continued to watch her in silence as she ate. He watched her as they dropped their trays off and walked down stairs. He walked her to her door.

"If you could please inform me when you're going upstairs, so I can come with you - no matter what time of day, I'd appreciate it. Good night, Commander." she went into her quarters and kept the lights off and headed to her bedroom. She crawled on the bed carefully and curled up and wrapped her arm around her stomach. She'd be okay, she just needed to sleep. She hadn't thought that Cartwright would attack her in her quarters.

She heard the door to her quarters open and tensed. Then she relaxed when she heard how swiftly he moved through her living room without the lights on. There was only one person she knew who could do that.

Khan came over to her side of the bed and sat down. He leaned over and whispered so the audio devices wouldn't hear him. "What happened?" He could feel her shaking her head. He stood up and tugged for her to come with him.

She slowly got off the bed and followed him into her bathroom.

He shut the door and turned on the light.

Rachel blinked rapidly then started to sit down on the edge of the tub, but she winced.

Khan noticed and kept her standing. He looked over her body slowly. He touched her stomach and watched as she blanched. He frowned, "Take off your shirt."

Rachel winced again as she moved to pull the shirt up and Khan assisted her in pulling the turtleneck off. "I'm sure it's not as bad as it looks." she said softly.

Khan eyed the black hematoma on her stomach, then looked up and noticed the marks at her throat. "Who did this?"

She shook her head slowly, "I'll be fine."

Obviously she'd been threatened. Khan touched her chin and made her look up at him. "I can not stop them from hurting you while they have my family to hold against me. I would suggest that you stop pushing them so blatantly."

She nodded.

"You should take a hot shower, it will help." he reached around her and turned the water on.

Rachel waited. He didn't move to leave. "I can manage the shower on my own." Her insides were starting to hum from the way he was looking at her.

"I'm sure you could, but I think you wouldn't mind my assistance." he moved closer and ran his hand over her side.

She swallowed hard. Curse her body - of course she wanted him in the damn shower with her. She took a deep breath, "I'll be fine on my own. Please, leave." she requested.

He touched her throat gently and felt her rapid pulse. He smirked, "Since you said please." He stepped back, "I have to turn the light off to leave." He looked at her once more. "Good night, Commander."

"Good night." she watched him turn off the light, open the door, then closed it again. She walked over and turned the light back on. She tried to slow down her breathing. She was going to seriously have to re-evaluate what she was going to do to get through this assignment.

XXXXX

TBC.

Reviews are greatly appreciated!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek or any of its characters, only my OC - Rachel Reed.

Thank you everyone that is reading/favorite/following this story - especially to Just a Crazy-Man, Silver-ShadowSpark, Lady Krystalyn, and bliss for the reviews!

A/N - So sorry for the delay in this chapter.

_A Shot in the Dark_ - Perhaps instead of shaking his hand, she should have shot herself . . . it would have been so much easier than everything that followed.

Chapter 4 - Is this an offer of help, or a trap?

**A Shot in the Dark**

Chapter 4

Rachel Reed woke up rolled over slowly to turn off her alarm. She sighed softly and rolled back on the bed.

"You aren't going to try and fall back asleep - are you?" Khan questioned her.

Rachel chuckled, "Of course not." She sat up slowly and looked at him sitting on the other side of her bed, leaning against the headboard and reading his PADD.

This had become routine over the past two months. When she woke up, he was always reading a PADD in her bed. She often wondered how he managed to not wake her up, but she never woke up until the alarm went off. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, he always had a bottle of water to hand to her to start drinking before they went and worked out on the machines in the gym. On Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, he always had a cup of coffee ready for her when she got out of the shower. Sundays, he always had a newspaper on her PADD open for her to read. It was almost as if he expected her not to get up one morning. Maybe he just wanted her to get up so he could start his day and get everything done he had on his list for that day. She didn't know, and she wasn't going to ask why he was always waiting - _on her bed_ - for her to wake each morning. She often wondered how much he really slept. It couldn't be more than five hours a night, because she'd seen how much work he always managed to complete over night.

She sat up slowly and ran her hand through her hair.

Khan glanced at her from his PADD, "Admiral Marcus wants you present the latest designs to a panel of benefactors today at 1000." he informed her.

"Me?" Rachel frowned. "Why? You know the designs better, and so do all of the engineers that are building all of that stuff." She frowned - _what was Marcus up to now?_

"He's not going to allow me to talk to them." Khan pointed out. "And the engineers speak too technically for the average human to understand. I would also assume that Marcus wants you to persuade them to open their pocket books." He handed her PADD to her. "I've uploaded all of the latest designs and given you a summary of each project. We can review them over breakfast." he suggested.

She glanced at the PADD, "I guess it's a good thing that I've been keeping up with all of this." Rachel pushed the covers off and got up. "I'll be out in fifteen minutes." She walked to the closet and got a black Section 31 pants and turtleneck uniform out and clean underwear and headed for the shower.

Khan headed to her living room and started the coffee maker and waited for her coffee to finish, then he had the machine make tea for him. He went over and sat down in the plush chair and continued to read over the latest reports from the Assembly room. He checked on the torpedo prototypes. The first one was almost complete. He would check on it this afternoon. Last month, Rachel had informed him that his crew in cryotubes were in a secured room in the back of the Assembly room. He had been able to allocate the room beside it for the newly designed torpedoes to be stored when they were finished. If his torpedo designs were correct, he would be able to remove the inerts of the torpedoes and put his crew's cryotubes in them and then figure out a way to smuggle them away to safety. It unnerved him that he was so close to his crew, and yet so far away. He hadn't been able to get into the secured room they were being held in, but it was only a matter of time before he discovered how to unlock the encryption code. Funding for the torpedoes was one of the items for Rachel to speak about today. He had to have funding in order to save his family. He sighed softly as he sipped his tea. _She had to do a good job today_ - she just had to. He looked up as she came out in her uniform and picked up her coffee and sat on the couch.

Rachel took a sip of her coffee, then set the cup on the coffee table. She put her black socks on, then her boots. "What do you want me to emphasize today?" she asked as she picked up her PADD and coffee cup again and sat back.

"The portable cannons are good for repelling enemy in close combat on the surface of a planet, and the new torpedoes will allow us to quell the enemy without having to cross over into their territory. Both of those projects are highly beneficial for what Admiral Marcus wants to do." Khan pointed out.

She nodded slowly as she pulled up the designs and studied them in more detail as she drank her coffee. She finished her coffee, then asked him a few questions about some parts of the designs that she wasn't familiar with. She stood up, "Ready for breakfast?" she suggested.

They walked to the office and she set her PADD on her desk.

Khan looked at her questionably, "You're not bringing it with you?"

Rachel gave him a small smile, "Wouldn't I be a hypocrite if I brought it with me, since I don't let you bring yours to meals?"

Khan shrugged, "I just thought you'd want to review the information and not waste time."

"We can still discuss it over breakfast - I do happen to have a good memory." They headed upstairs and went through the line and selected their food.

No one else had ever occupied their table, it was always available when they arrived to eat their meals. No one bothered them, or approached them.

It was true that everyone gave Khan - John Harrison - a wide berth. He was known to raise his voice, drop his voice, and damage things when people didn't follow his design plans to the letter. _To the letter._ Doctor Anderson had seen Khan's wrath when he had tweaked the design of the prototype torpedoes. Khan had demanded in no uncertain terms that Anderson either follow his designs to the letter or he'd see that Admiral Marcus knew exactly who messed up the design. Word had gotten around the Assembly room to do exactly as instructed with all of Harrison's designs - they were nonnegotiable.

They sat down and Rachel continued to question him about the yield of the torpedoes. She set her fork down when she finished and dabbed her lips. She sat back and thought for a moment. "So really, if each of our larger ships had four of these new torpedoes - they could pretty much lay waste to a planet?" she questioned him.

Khan nodded. He hadn't thought about it that way - but it was a perfect reason for the amount he was requesting to be built. "Yes, there are eighteen ships that could be fitted with these torpedoes. We will, of course, need more later as more ships are built." he pointed out.

Rachel noted he was finished and they stood up and dropped their dishes off. "Remember I need a blood sample today for Doctor Soran." she said as they headed back downstairs.

Khan headed to the Medical room and promptly sat on the table and rolled up his sleeve as he waited for her to get the medical instrument. "Did he say what he is studying in my blood when you asked him last week?" he questioned.

Rachel glanced at him as she stepped in front of him. She nodded, "He is making sure that your blood is not being compromised by this environment." She took the blood sample and lowered her voice, "He also said he was monitoring your family and ensuring they are not being adversely affected by long term cryosleep." She put the sample in the medical fridge until she headed upstairs later. When she turned around, he was standing less than a foot from her. She looked up at him slowly.

Khan looked at her questionably. He wanted to know how his family was, but part of him almost dreaded that something would go wrong with some of the cryotubes - they hadn't been designed to be running this long.

Rachel gave him a small smile, "He said everything looks fine." she reassured him.

Khan nodded slowly, "Do you trust him?"

Rachel shrugged slightly, "As much as I trust anyone. He did tell me where your family was being kept - that is something. He didn't have to do that." she pointed out.

"Could Marcus be making him deceive you?" Khan questioned. _Why would the man be in anyway helping them? _Unless he had his own agenda, or was being mislead too.

"I don't think so. The way he speaks leads me to believe . . ." she stopped. She had been speaking without censoring her words, she quickly covered her slip. "I believe he is truly interested in the preservation of the last Augments."

Khan had noted her quick sidestepping of where her conversation had been going. _Did she believe that Doctor Soran didn't agree with Admiral Marcus? _Could he be an ally in getting his family away from the man? Khan would have to contemplate this new information. He realized that he was exceedingly close to her. He stepped back and nodded, "I am glad that someone is watching over my family's well fare." He had tried to keep himself from invading her personal space since that incident with Commander Cartwright two months ago. He had seen her shirk back from people when they got too close to her, and she nearly jumped out of her skin if anyone touched her. She hadn't been like that before Cartwright had attacked her - she'd been brazen, didn't back down, even goaded and instigated trouble. But now, she barely spoke to anyone, unless she was directly asked a question. Well, she spoke to him - but that was probably because she was assigned to monitor him. Khan had asked her why she hadn't fought Cartwright, but she said she had fought back once before and she didn't want to go through that again - she wouldn't tell him any more than that. He gathered she had been punished severely.

Rachel watched as Khan realized he was in her personal space and stepped back. She had noticed that he consciously tried not to intimidate her by towering over her anymore - ever since Cartwright had choked her. She swallowed hard. She could still distinctly remember how his hand felt around her throat. She closed her eyes as she tried to stop the rush of fear that she got when her mind recalled the incident.

Khan gently held her arm as she swayed slightly. Her eyes snapped open, but she didn't flinch from his touch. "Let's go over the information again in the office." he suggested, then let go of her arm when she nodded and regained her equilibrium.

Rachel was thankful he didn't ask her what was wrong. He knew she'd been affected by Cartwright, so he didn't need to ask. She walked to the office and picked up her PADD and they sat down in the plush chairs in the outer office and reviewed all of the details for another hour.

Khan watched as she glanced around her desk once more to make sure she didn't need to take anything else with her to the meeting. He looked at her squarely when she faced him, "You'll do fine." he stated.

Rachel nodded and gave him a small smile. "I'll be back in a few hours." She left him, got his blood sample, then headed up to Security two floors up.

"Good morning, Commander Reed. I'll be escorting you upstairs this morning." the young blond Security officer stated as she stepped out the stairwell.

_Nothing like having your every move monitored._ Rachel nodded, "I need to drop this sample off to Doctor Soran before the meeting." she indicated.

He nodded, "Yes, Ma'am - I've been instructed to take you there." He waved for her to head to the lift. Another man started to step on the lift with them and the guard told him to wait for the next lift, then had the doors shut.

Rachel knocked on Doctor Soran's office door before she stepped in. "Good morning, Doctor. I've got the sample you requested."

Doctor Soran smiled brightly, "Thank you, Commander Reed." He walked over to her and accepted the sample. "Please, come in. I need to go over a few tests I need you to run this next week." He glanced at the Security officer, "This won't take long." he smiled.

Rachel looked at the doctor curiously. She'd never had to run any tests before.

Soran led her away from the earshot of the guard. "Are you doing okay?" he questioned her, his British accent lilting slightly.

Rachel nodded, "I'm fine - thank you for asking."

He indicated the monitor on his desk, "I'm going to send you the official request for these test to your computer." He then lowered his voice, "I know your great grandmother, and I know she would be devastated if she found out how you were being used here." He quickly went on as her eyes widened, "She doesn't know - my communications are being monitored as well. I'm devising a plan for you to escape. It will take awhile - but I don't want you to give up hope. I will do my best to protect you." he promised.

Rachel frowned slightly, "How do you know her?" she questioned softly.

"I was her mother's friend, but I haven't seen your great grandmother in a very long time." Soran stated, then pointed to the monitor. "These two tests won't take long, but this one will take longer."

Rachel looked over Doctor Soran, "You don't look old enough to know my great, great grandmother." she pointed out.

Soran smiled softly, "I'm not human." he whispered. "Anyhow," he spoke louder, "I need these tests run within the next few days."

Rachel nodded, "I'll check Commander Harrison's schedule and get these taken care of as soon as possible."

Soran smiled, "Yes, tell Commander Harrison I appreciate his cooperation." He lowered his voice once more, "Tell him the key is in the request."

Rachel blinked rapidly, _What key?_ she wondered. Obviously something Khan needed. "Thank you." she stepped back. "I'll have the reports from the tests sent directly to you." She turned and quickly followed the Security guard back to the lift and they went up three more floors to the large conference room.

"Admiral Marcus will be here momentarily." the guard informed her as he stood by the door.

Rachel walked over to the floor to ceiling windows and looked out at the London scenery just outside. _How she missed being able to go outside._ Before she'd been brought here, she had been allowed to go back and forth between her quarters and Starfleet Headquarters. She was always followed, her movements always monitored - but at least she had been able to go outside. For almost three months now she hadn't felt the sun on her skin, or a breeze. She sighed softly as she tried not to dwell on her miserable imprisonment in the lowest floors of this building. She thought back to what Doctor Soran had said. Was he really going to try and help her escape? Did he really care about the Augments? She wanted to believe him - but the past two years had taught her not to trust anyone.

The door opened and she knew who it was without even turning around.

Admiral Marcus noted her at the window immediately, "Miss it?" he questioned and came over to stand beside her.

She glanced at him. He hadn't changed at bit since she'd last saw him - unless it was possible for his ego to expand even more than it was before. "Yes, I miss it." she admitted.

"Good. Perhaps it will keep you motivated." Marcus indicated for her to sit down. He watched her, "You have done a good job keeping Harrison focused. Tell me, why is he always waiting for you to wake up?"

Rachel shrugged, "I don't know and I haven't asked him. Does it matter?" she asked.

"You don't mind?" Marcus narrowed his eyes.

"He doesn't bother me. I figure as long as he is focused on his work the rest of the time, I can tolerate it. I don't want to rock the boat." she explained.

Marcus nodded as he sat back, "I've also noted that you have stopped causing trouble - that's good, because you were about ready to be reprimanded like you were previously." he stared at her, clearly indicating it was still a possibility if she got out of line again.

Rachel felt her stomach clench. She decided to change the subject, "Commander Harrison would like for me to discuss the portable cannons and the new torpedoes."

Marcus nodded, "I agree. You know the designs well enough to persuade our benefactors?" he questioned.

"I believe I know enough to convince them to fully fund the projects." Rachel stated.

Marcus grinned, "Good - and just to make sure they are convinced - persuade them with your skills." he ordered.

Rachel nodded. So, he did want her to use her powers of persuasion - just like Khan assumed. She stood up as the door opened and smiled as their five benefactors came into the room.

Admiral Marcus motioned for her to come stand by him, "Gentlemen, this is Commander Reed - she will be conducting the briefing today." He smiled as she shook each of the men's hands as they introduced themselves.

XXXXX

Khan was waiting in the office for her. He walked over to her and raised an eyebrow.

Rachel smiled softly, "Everything went fine - we have full funding."

Khan let out a pent up breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He nodded, "I knew you would do well." He glanced at his watch, "Lunch?" he suggested.

Rachel nodded, "I need to check my messages - Doctor Soran wants me to run a few tests on you in the next few days."

_Tests?_ Khan followed her over to her desk as she pulled up her messages.

She lowered her voice, "He said he knows my great grandmother, said he wasn't human." She glanced at Khan as he leaned closer to read the request the doctor had sent to her. "He said he was going to try and help me escape. He also said the key you need was in his request." she whispered.

Khan turned his face to her, his brows furrowed. He returned his attention to the request and read it again. He blinked, then stood up. The key to open the door where his family was being kept in their cryotubes? The six digit number was obvious to him, but no one else would realize it was in this ordinary looking medical test request. _Was this really the door code - or was it a trap?_ Khan clenched his fists, then quickly calmed himself - he couldn't act any differently. He had to remain in control. If this was a trap, if this code didn't work - he would kill the doctor with his bare hands.

XXXXX

TBC.

Reviews are greatly appreciated!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek or any of its characters, only my OC - Rachel Reed.

Thank you everyone that is reading/favorite/following this story - especially to Just a Crazy-Man, Silver-ShadowSpark, Lady Krystalyn, bliss, FuchsiaGrasshopper, and weezerz2490 for the reviews!

_A Shot in the Dark_ - Perhaps instead of shaking his hand, she should have shot herself . . . it would have been so much easier than everything that followed.

A/N: This chapter is a bit of an emotional rollercoaster, especially towards the end - including thoughts of suicide.

Chapter 5 - Nowhere to Run.

**A Shot in the Dark**

Chapter 5 - Nowhere to Run

Khan was leaning over her desk, "I want to go and inspect the ship. I've sent them the modifications, and now I need to inspect what they've done." he reiterated. He was growing upset with the continual blockage of his requests. He had successfully designed modifications so that the new ship, _Vengeance_, could technically be run by one person. Of course, he had himself in mind when he made the modifications - but nonetheless, he wanted to see if they'd been able to install all of his modifications. He'd been requesting each week, for the past month, to be able to go and inspect the ship. When he'd designed the modifications, he'd been surprised that the design seemed so familiar to him - _and he wanted to know why that was_. The only way he would be able to find out his answer was to get on that ship.

Rachel gave him a small nod, "I understand your need to inspect the modifications to the ship to ensure they were completed properly. I will relay, _again_, your request to Admiral Marcus this morning." she reassured him, though she held little hope that the Admiral's answer would change.

Khan stood back and clasped his hands behind his back to keep his anger in check, "You do not believe he will change his mind." he stated flatly.

Rachel frowned slightly, "Commander, I believe he thinks you will try and escape if you are allowed to leave this facility."

Khan started to pace in front of her desk, "I have done everything he has asked. I have not caused any problems. I have held up my end of the bargain - but I can not promise him that the modifications to the ship will work if I can't inspect them myself!" he raised his voice. "The reason the weapons made here have been so successful is because I have personally inspected the whole process. I have no idea if the idiots that are working on that ship have followed my precise directions - or if they've tried to cut corners, just like they tried here until I put my foot down." He whirled around, "No! If the Admiral will not allow me to inspect the ship, I can not continue to make any further modifications since I don't know what they've done to this point." He went to his office and slammed the door.

Rachel raised an eyebrow. She'd never seen Khan so perturbed, but she understood where he was coming from. _How could he make any further modifications if he didn't know exactly what they'd done to the ship?_ The laborers could have decided to 'take liberties' and reroute a few things thinking it was okay, but it could spell disaster for the ship if the pull on some of the systems was too great. She would make her plea today a bit more adamant for the Admiral at the meeting, and she knew just how to do it.

She stood up and walked over to Khan's office door and knocked twice.

"Go away."

Rachel opened the door anyway, despite his request and the foul mood he was in.

His eyes narrowed. _How dare she come in here when he'd specifically said for her to go away! _She usually respected his requests without a need for an explanation. "I said go away."

"I heard you, Commander. But, I must remind you that I have one more test for Doctor Soran to run today before I go to my meeting. If I must, I will also remind you that Admiral Marcus expects you to cooperate with Doctor Soran's research. I know for a fact that the Admiral will not even bother to hear me out at the meeting, if you have not followed through with the testing requested." Rachel pointed out as she watched him carefully.

Khan's eyes threw daggers in her direction, but he stood up slowly. He walked over to the doorway and waited for her to move out of the way, then headed directly to the Medical room. He got on the table and waited.

Rachel came in a few moments later and indicated for him to take off his shirt as she pulled over the machine. She quickly placed the circular sticky pads on his chest, throat, and temples. She clasped another device over his right pointer finger, then connected all of the wires to the machine.

Khan watched as she worked. He knew she was just following orders, but he despised these rudimentary tests. The results were always the same - he was always perfectly fine.

Rachel stood back and watched as the monitors started to record their results. "It seems that your blood pressure is elevated, Commander Harrison. You must feel very passionate about ensuring that your work is done correctly." she suggested a possible reason.

Khan looked at her, in utter amazement at what she had accomplished. She had stirred him up - to the point where is blood pressure would be elevated. She knew that the results of this test would be scrutinized because of its irregularity. Now, she would have a medical finding to back up her reasoning for his request to inspect the ship. "Yes, I feel very strongly about my work." he agreed.

Rachel nodded, "Why don't you lay back for a few minutes and do those breathing exercises you have me do when I'm stressed, while I finish up and take your blood sample?" she said as she quickly went to get the necessary medical tool.

Khan laid back on the slightly elevated bed and closed his eyes as he purposefully calmed himself down.

Rachel touched his forearm gently, "I'm going to take your blood sample now." she said preemptively.

Khan nodded as he opened his eyes. "You have become very adept at running these tests." he pointed out. She moved around the Medical room as if this was her field of expertise.

Rachel shook her head slightly as she finished, "It's all just a facade. I only know how to run the tests that I've been shown how to do - and I really don't like blood. So, actually - it's pretty good that I've managed not to get sick or pass out."

"That makes me feel so much better." Khan said sarcastically at her admittance. His eyes focused on her as she unhooked all of the wires, then moved the machine out of the way. She came back over and gently took off all of the sticky circular pads stuck to his chest. "You will not hurt me if you rip them off." he reminded her - as he had reminded her the other four times she'd run this test on him.

Rachel continued to gently removed the sticky pads, "I will not cause you any unnecessary pain, Commander." she reiterated her stance. She leaned over him and peeled off the pads on his temples.

"Thank you." he said softly, so that only she could hear.

Rachel smiled, then patted his chest as she stood back up, "You are all finished, Commander. I will send the results to Doctor Soran immediately."

Khan sat up as she threw away all of the sticky pads in the trash receptacle. He pulled his shirt back on and got off the table. He walked across the room and stopped before he left, "You will be going to speak to Doctor Soran, then to your meeting?" he inquired.

Rachel nodded.

"I will be in my office when you are finished." he stated, then headed back to his office.

Rachel headed up the stairs to the Security check point and was quickly escorted by one of the officers to the lift and to Doctor Soran's office.

Doctor Soran looked up, puzzled when she arrived. He pointed to the results on his screen, "What has happened?" he questioned her.

Rachel held her PADD loosely behind her back as she spoke, "Commander Harrison is insistent that he be able to inspect his work on the ship, before he designs any more modifications."

"His blood pressure was extremely high - he's more than just insistent." Soran stated.

Rachel shrugged, "I will discuss the situation and the request with Admiral Marcus."

Soran shook his head, "This is not good." he reiterated.

Rachel nodded as she stepped back, "Understood."

She was led to the large Conference Room where Admiral Marcus and Commander Cartwright were already waiting.

Admiral Marcus glanced up from his PADD and indicated for her to take a seat across from him. "Why was his blood pressure up?"

Rachel watched Marcus closely, "He's upset. He has requested to go and inspect the _Vengeance_, but you have denied each of his requests. He is worried that something may not have been installed or modified correctly."

Cartwright narrowed his eyes, "Why does he care if it works or not?"

Rachel raised an eyebrow, "Because Admiral Marcus told him that the ship and the weapons had to work for his family to remain safe. Surely, you understand that if he can't inspect the work - he doesn't know if it will work. He believes he will lose his family."

Marcus shook his head, "I can't have him running loose, besides didn't Smith warn us that his memories could return if he goes back there?"

Rachel shrugged, "Doctor Smith said there was only a remote possibility that his memories would return. The fact is, he needs to inspect the work that has been done. Don't you remember how the engineers here tried to cut corners? What if they've done that on the ship? The whole thing could blow up as soon as you raised shields, or tried to do something when you're travelling at warp. Do you really want that ship to work the way it was designed to - or does that not really matter?" she inquired.

"Of course I want it to work the way he designed it - that's the whole point!" Marcus barked.

Rachel shrugged, "There is no one better to inspect the work than Commander Harrison - and you know it. Now, shall we discuss how we can ensure that he will not cause any problems?" she suggested.

Marcus watched her carefully, "What reassurances do we have that he will not go on a rampage and kill the people we have there?"

Rachel sighed softly as she shook her head, "Don't you still have his crew? That's the whole reason he has cooperated thus far. As long as you have them and they are safe - he will comply."

Admiral Marcus took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair, "You're very sure that's all it takes to keep him in line."

"I've only had to mention it once - that first day here, never again." she pointed out.

Alexander Marcus huffed. He didn't want Khan out of his cage - but he needed to know if the ship worked as designed. "Fine - you go with him. I expect updates and I expect him to come up with more modifications since I'm granting his request. Need I remind anyone of what will happen if anything does not go according to my expectations?"

Rachel raised her chin slightly, "I understand your expectations, Admiral."

Marcus narrowed his eyes at her, "I will hold you personally responsible."

Rachel gave him a slight nod, "Of course."

The Admiral quickly shifted gears as he picked up his PADD, "How are the recommendations of positions for the _Longfellow_ going?" he inquired.

Rachel turned on her PADD and sent him the detailed report she'd finished this morning. "There are only a few positions left to be filled." she indicated. "Because the _Longfellow_ is being considered for a five year mission, I recommend the following personnel." She sent him the list of names.

Marcus raised an eyebrow, "Garrison for First Contact Officer - why? He was slated for the _Lakota_. I thought Markum was slated for that position."

She nodded, "Yes, but Garrison had more successful contacts with non-humanoid species while he was a field agent. Markum was known for shooting first - I would suggest that he stay close to home and on shorter assignments."

"Very well. Any other recommendations to wrap up?"

"No, Sir. That was the last of the recommendations I was tasked with. Do you have another assignment for me to be working on?"

Marcus nodded, "I need the _Vengeance_ staffed, it will be ready within six months. I need officers that have a strong conviction of doing what is necessary, even if it is morally questionable. They must follow orders and not question or counterman authority. If we need to make changes in personnel - now's the time to do it."

Rachel typed in his required qualifications as she listened. She kept quiet about the qualifications he was seeking in officers. He was looking for puppets, not thinkers - militarily mindset, not explorers. "Understood, Sir."

Marcus stood up, Cartwright and Reed quickly followed suit. He walked around the table and stopped next to her, "I want you to work on those recommendations in your spare time in the next few weeks. He is your first priority - is that clear? You go with him wherever he goes on that ship and on the station. Make it understood to him that if he goes anywhere without you he will be on the first shuttle back to Earth and he will have to deal with the consequences."

Rachel watched as the Admiral looked her over once more, then he turned to Cartwright. "Why don't you go with Commander Reed and tell Commander Harrison the good news. The shuttle will be on the roof at 0900."

Cartwright nodded and walked with Reed and her guard down the corridor.

They rode down the lift, then went through security and headed down the stairs to the lower levels.

Rachel glanced at Cartwright, "Remember not to threaten his crew." she said softly.

Cartwright chuckled, "I'll leave that talk up to you since you seem to have a special way of making him see reason." He stopped her before she opened the door on to the bottom floor. He looked her over slowly, "Personally, I hope he screws up and I get to deal with you when you get back."

Rachel stepped back and opened the door quickly, then proceeded to Khan's office. She tried to slow her hammering pulse. She hated Cartwright - he seemed to get a thrill over controlling and punishing her.

Khan looked up from his drafting board as he heard two people enter the outer office. He stood up when they entered. "This is an unexpected visit, Commander."

Cartwright looked at the Augment, "Admiral Marcus is granting your request to inspect the ship. You will leave at 0900 tomorrow. While you are on the station and the ship, Commander Reed will accompany you. You will not go anywhere without her - is that understood?"

Khan nodded, "Yes, Commander." He couldn't believe that the Admiral was granting his request. He glanced at Rachel for confirmation, but her expression was guarded. Khan wasn't sure if it was just because Cartwright was near her, or if something else was wrong. He looked back at Cartwright, "We will be ready at 0900. I will need to leave instructions for the engineers upstairs."

Cartwright took a deep breath, "Get things taken care of here before the shift changes. Make sure you take everything you need, you won't be making trips back and forth." He turned to leave and looked over Rachel once more. He smiled slowly.

Rachel could feel her skin start to crawl as Cartwright looked over her again. Her eyes widened as he raised an eyebrow. "I will speak to Commander Harrison shortly." she promised.

Cartwright nodded, then left the two of them alone and headed back upstairs.

Khan had watched their facial expressions with interest - what silent messages where they sending to each other? Clearly Rachel was uncomfortable and Cartwright was being his usual asinine self.

He waited for a few moments, "What is it you need to speak to me about?" He walked over to her and saw her frown slightly.

Rachel looked up at him slowly, "The Admiral wanted me to remind you to be on your best behavior and not cause any problems, though he didn't put it in exactly those words." She swallowed hard. She didn't like to have to relay the threat to him - the threat that Marcus always held over him.

Khan nodded slowly in understanding, "I'm sure the Admiral said he'd hold you personally responsible." He was growing tired of the Admiral's threats.

He had slowly been preparing for his and his family's escape. He'd been making video recordings to fool the security guards and hacking into the system to keep it from registering when he left his quarters and office when he needed to be discrete. The code Doctor Soran had given him worked on the door between the room with his family's cyrotubes and the room the new torpedoes were being stored. He'd checked the fit of the cryotube into the torpedo and was pleased. Because of the shielding, no instrument would be able to detect that a cryotube was inside. He had removed the cryotube from the torpedo and put them both back in their proper places. He'd spent an hour amongst the cryotubes, just looking at his crew and promising them that he'd get them out of this situation. He had been busy planning a way to get them out, once he could get them all in the torpedoes. He'd decided the easiest thing to do was have the torpedoes moved to a warehouse in San Francisco, so they could easily be transferred to the ships. Of course, he didn't want them to be split up - he'd need to get to them in the warehouse and wake them up. He'd found an older ship for sale from Finley Transport that was capable of Warp 3. He'd transferred money from one of Section 31's accounts through a few others, then bought the ship. The ship was in Finley Transport's facilities waiting for him. He'd slowly been purchasing supplies and having them stored on the ship. His only problem was that he still needed twelve more torpedoes. But, they should have them completed within a month. He would initiate his plan as soon as they got back from inspecting the _Vengeance_ - which should take about a month.

Rachel watched as his eyes glazed over slightly and he stood still for a few moments. She was sure he was thinking about his family and what would happen to them. "I'm sure everything will go fine."

Khan's eyes snapped to her. He blinked, realizing he'd been quiet for a few minutes. "Of course everything will go fine." He looked over her again, "Did Cartwright threaten you again?"

Rachel took a deep breath and headed for her desk - she didn't want to think about Cartwright. "He hopes that you will mess up." She sat down at her desk and quickly started to transfer the files from her computer to her PADD that she needed to compile her recommendations.

Khan stood at the door and watched as she tried to calm herself down, but he could make out the slight tremble of her hands as they went across her keyboard. "He takes too much pleasure in making you upset."

Rachel sighed softly as she glanced at Khan, "That's his personality - he wants to be able to punish someone. I'm available and an easy target. I'm doing my best to not give him reason to visit me again and I'd appreciate it if you would be on your best behavior when we're gone."

Khan nodded, "I will not cause any problems." He watched as her body relaxed almost imperceptibly. "I need to go to the Assembly room and make sure the Engineers know the work that must be completed while we are gone."

Rachel nodded as she stood up, "Lunch first?" she suggested.

They headed upstairs to the cafeteria and went through the line, then sat down at their table.

Rachel looked around the room slowly as she took a sip of water. She set the glass down and frowned slightly.

"What?" Khan questioned.

"It's going to be unusual - not being here, with our usual routines." she said softly as she glanced at him.

Khan raised an eyebrow, "Change is good, besides - don't you want a change of scenery?"

Rachel twirled her fork around the noodles on her plate, "One fish bowl for another doesn't really seem like that much of a change."

He watched as she ate quietly. She did have a point, but they would be in a different environment and perhaps she would have a bit more freedom. "Have you been there?"

She stopped her fork midair, then set it down. She didn't want to think about the last time she'd been there. She quickly pushed the memories down and took a sip of water. "Yes, I've been there before." She told him all about the station and the facilities that were there that they could use.

He could tell the station didn't set well with her. She tried to cover it up with telling him all about the place, but he could see the tension coiling in her body again. _Now was not the time for him to get more information out of her. _He continued to eat as she fell silent once more.

They headed to the Assembly room and he made his way to each station to give instructions to each of the Engineers.

Khan finished up with the last of the engineers and glanced around the room. He noted that Rachel was speaking to a younger officer that he'd seen her conversing with previously. He saw that the officer looked slightly distressed. Rachel was keeping her hands to herself, but he'd seen her stop herself from touching the man's arm to offer comfort. He frowned inwardly when he realized the only physical contact she'd had was when he trained her in the gym, or when Cartwright had beaten her. She was naturally a comforting person - she'd even touched him a few times to comfort him. _Why did she even feel the need to comfort him?_ Everyone else was afraid of him and no one dared to touch him. Only Rachel - and she didn't fear him, she was comfortable around him. That was another conundrum for him to ponder - why did she not fear him? She knew who he really was, knew what he was capable of doing.

He waited and walked over to Rachel after the younger officer returned to his post across the room. "Who is he?" he asked as she typed in some information on her PADD.

Rachel looked around the room slowly, "Who?" she asked distractedly.

Khan's eyes narrowed. _Was she avoiding his question on purpose?_

Rachel turned to Khan quickly when she felt his breath on her as he stepped closer. _Of course he thought she was keeping something from him _- Khan had a very suspicious personality and with good reason. "Sorry. That was Thomas Harwood. I noticed a few weeks ago he looked very worried as he worked at his station. He'd found out his daughter has a terminal illness. I was just inquiring about her health and he told me they had her admitted to the Royal Children's Hospital yesterday for some experimental treatment." she explained and saw him calm down.

"I was under the impression that diseases had been cured on Earth." Khan spoke as they headed back downstairs.

Rachel shook her head, "There are still some diseases that we haven't developed cures for, but yes - most of those from your time have been cured. There are still alien diseases that we don't have cures for too." She opened the door to their floor and went through.

"And the doctors don't know how to cure her?" Khan questioned.

"I guess not, but they are going to start some experimental treatments." Rachel looked at him curiously. She wondered why he was interested in the child.

Khan saw the questioning look on her face, "He must be desperate if he is allowing people to experiment on his child."

Rachel nodded, "You know people are willing to do whatever is necessary to protect their family - especially when it comes to their children." She stopped at the door to her quarters, "I'm going to get packed."

Khan turned and went to his room. He quickly packed all of his clothes and gathered all of the PADDs he'd need. His thoughts kept drifting to Rachel. What had she done on that station previously? She was a Social Psychologist - it's not like they needed her there. _Maybe she had been assigned another officer to control then. _He stopped short as he remembered a conversation he had with her before - when he'd asked how long she'd been under Marcus' control. She said she now had the opportunity to redeem herself by working with him. Had she failed her mission on the station? Was that when she had fought back and been punished? Was whatever had happened on that station the reason she didn't fight back? No wonder she wasn't looking forward to going back there.

Rachel looked up as the door to her quarters opened. She was use to Khan coming in without asking for permission. "Do you need anything?" she asked from her bedroom as she folded a few more items and put them in her bag.

Khan walked to the doorframe of her bedroom and looked around slowly. He'd had the security feeds to their floor looped so he could move around and they could talk freely. "What happened to you on that station?"

Rachel froze. Why was he bringing this up? How did he know something had happened? "I can't talk about it - especially not here."

Khan walked over to her, "They can't hear us or see us." he reassured her.

Rachel looked up slowly. He'd figured out how to hack into security? She could almost feel Cartwright's delight when he found out - he'd make her pay for Khan's actions. She stepped back quickly. She had to make a choice. Tell Cartwright now, or be punished more when he found out she'd known when he discovered it later.

Khan held her arms and kept her from backing away any further. He realized she was starting to panic - he could see it in her eyes as they widened. "He won't find out." he stated firmly as he let her go.

She wanted to believe him, but she knew deep down that Cartwright would eventually find out and she would be punished. She dropped down as sat on the edge of the bed. She took a few deep breaths and tried to convince herself that everything would be okay. "Why do you want to know what happened there?"

"Because just the thought of going there has you trembling. What happened?" he asked again as he sat next to her on the bed.

Rachel knew she couldn't tell him that he'd been there with her, that he was part of the reason she'd gotten in trouble. But, she could tell him enough of the truth for him to understand. "I was assigned another officer to handle - to keep in line while I was there. We didn't get along too well because I tried to manipulate him and he saw through my attempts. But, the more I worked with him, the more I saw him as someone that needed my support." She shook her head slightly, "I crossed the line with my patient and Marcus found out. To say he was displeased would be an understatement."

Khan watched her closely - she wasn't telling him everything. "You had an intimate relationship with your patient - that's why Marcus has you watched so closely."

Rachel frowned as she looked at Khan for any sort of recognition, but she didn't see anything. "It wasn't a relationship - I didn't delude myself into thinking that it was anything more than what it was."

"What did Marcus do when he found out?"

"The officer was immediately transferred and I was beaten to a bloody pulp. When I recovered from my injuries, Marcus had me transferred to Starfleet Headquarters and I worked there under heavy surveillance." Rachel ran her palms over her pants to get rid of their clamminess.

"Why did he keep you around? Why didn't Marcus just have you killed?" Khan inquired.

Rachel gave him a slight chuckle, "I often ask myself the same thing."

Khan realized why the Admiral kept her alive. Because, despite the fact she failed last time, she'd obviously been successful before. And she was succeeding at keeping him in check too, he admitted to himself. He didn't know if he should be pleased at her resilience, or angry at himself for being so easily controlled.

She stood back up and continued packing her bag.

As she continued to pack, he slowly began to understand why she kept herself closed off. Simple self-preservation - she didn't want to be beaten again. He knew she was attracted to him, but she hadn't been able to act on it. He stood up and watched her. There were no cameras now. No one was watching or listening. He reached for her hand and stopped her quick movements.

Rachel looked up as Khan held her hand and pulled her closer to him. That look. The look in his eyes at the moment was the same one that had made her come unglued on the station - the same look that made her want to be with him despite the risk. She gasped as he cupped her chin and brushed her cheek with his thumb. _What was he doing?_ Before she had time to completely grasp the situation, he leaned closer and kissed her lips. She felt herself melting inside. She slowly started to respond in kind when he started to kiss her harder and pulled her closer.

Khan ran his hands down her sides as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around him. He walked her over to the bed and tossed her bag onto the floor, spilling most of its contents. He laid her down and moved over her. He could feel his body starting to ache. He could feel her heart pounding rapidly as he started to kiss down her throat and ran his hand under her uniform top. She grew completely still.

Rachel reached out and stopped his hand. _What the hell was she doing?_ she screamed at herself. _This is what had happened before_ - she couldn't let herself be put in that same situation. "Please stop. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have encouraged you - I was out of line." she said quickly as her hands started shaking.

Khan removed his hand from under her shirt and placed it on the mattress as he still loomed over her. She had a look of complete panic on her face. "They won't find out." he said softly, guessing that was the reason she was so upset.

Rachel shook her head slightly, "Please get off me." she whispered. She couldn't take this anymore. It was bad enough that she remembered everything from before and he didn't. It was bad enough that she often dreamed of him and couldn't tell him. She couldn't go through all of that again. As much as she wanted him - she knew that when they got caught this time, Marcus would kill them both and their families.

Khan brushed the single tear that fell down her face, "I need you." _Surely, that single statement would change her mind_. She knew him well enough to know he wouldn't just say that to anyone. He trusted her - she'd earned that trust over the past few months.

Rachel took a shaky breath, "I'm sorry."

Khan got up and left her quarters without looking back.

Rachel turned over and curled herself up as tears fell freely. She'd promised Khan that she wouldn't hurt him - and she just did.

XXXXX

Rachel woke up when her alarm went off. She sat up slowly and frowned. _Khan wasn't here._ She hadn't realized just how much she'd grown accustomed to him being in the room every morning when she woke up. She felt cold inside. She got up and headed for the shower.

She came out later and picked up her bag from the floor and repacked the spilled contents. She put her shower kit and makeup bags in, then zipped the bigger bag shut. She put it on her shoulder and headed into the living room and looked around slowly. Would she ever be back here? Khan was probably mad enough at her to do something just to get her in trouble. She took a deep breath and went across the hall. She knocked on Khan's door.

"I'm not going to breakfast." he said from the other side of the door.

"Can I please speak to you before we leave?" she requested.

"I will see you on the shuttle." Khan said firmly through the door.

Rachel turned and walked away. She went upstairs and ate alone. Then headed up the stairs to the security checkpoint.

The Officer in Charge raised an eyebrow, "Commander Reed, we weren't expecting you for another half hour."

"I'd like to go wait on the roof for the shuttle." she requested.

He looked her over and noted she did look a bit piqued. Maybe some fresh air would do her some good. "Ross, take Reed upstairs to the roof and wait with her for the shuttle."

Ross nodded and indicated for her to come with him. They rode up the lift silently.

The first thing Rachel felt was the warmth of the sun as they stepped out onto the roof, then she felt the breeze. She wanted to smile, but she didn't feel like even making the effort to try. She walked over to the low ledge and sat down. She felt her stomach clench. She hated heights. Actually, it wasn't the height - it was the fear of falling from those heights that scared the hell out of her. She set her bag down and wrapped her arms around herself. It was actually quite chilly and it wasn't helping the coldness in her body.

_What was she going to do?_ Khan hated her because she'd rejected him when he said he needed her. She knew what that was going to do to him. He was going to throw up that wall again. She was going to be barraged by cold shoulder and snide comments every moment that she was with him on the station and ship. And since she had to go wherever he went, she was going to be with him a lot. She closed her eyes tightly. She couldn't take this anymore. No matter what she did, she was never going to get out from under Marcus.

She looked down and felt her heart quicken as a thought started to grow in her mind. She looked down again and swallowed hard.

Her heartbeat quicken it's pace as she stood up slowly.

Her family would be safe. Khan would be better off without her.

She stepped up on the ledge. _All she had to do was step off._

A large hand grabbed her arm and pulled her back, "What the hell are you doing?" Khan growled. He watched as the color quickly returned to her face. His brows furrowed. "You were going to jump? Why?" he demanded to know as he moved closer and blocked the guards' view of her.

Rachel looked away, "It doesn't matter."

Khan tugged on her arm so she'd look at him. He lowered his voice, "I told you last night that I needed you - and just now you were about to jump off the roof. It matters to me! Why?" he questioned her again. She looked so broken - what had happened?

"I promised you I wouldn't hurt you, and I did anyway. You hate me and I can't take that, not on top of everything else. It just seemed like a solution." she tried to explain.

He touched her cheek gently, "I don't hate you." He watched as confusion crossed her face. "You wounded my ego - that's all. I remembered after I calmed down that you said Marcus had threatened your family. I know why you sent me away. How can I be mad at you for ensuring your family's safety?"

"You don't hate me?" she asked softly.

"What makes you think I hate you?" He was completely puzzled.

"You weren't there when I woke up, you didn't go to breakfast with me and you didn't want to talk to me." she pointed out. Had she just misunderstood everything?

Khan sighed softly as he cupped her cheeks in his hands, "I was busy finishing up some last minute designs to send up to the engineers."

She closed her eyes as she swayed slightly. She was going to be sick. She quickly turned and threw up her breakfast. She'd almost thrown her life away because she'd let self-doubt start to grow in her. She always had the mindset that she could get through anything. But somehow, everything had gotten jumbled up in her mind.

Khan kept a hand on her back to steady her as she got sick again.

"Hey - what's wrong with her?" Ross came over to them quickly.

Khan fought the urge to throw the man over the edge. _Now he noticed something was wrong? _Khan had noticed something was wrong with her as soon as he saw her looking over the edge of the building. "Undoubtedly something she ate for breakfast, coupled with the fact she's not fond of heights. Get a washcloth." he directed.

The security officer quickly went to get one as Khan's guards kept an eye on the two.

A few minutes later, Ross returned with a damp washcloth.

Khan gave the cool washcloth to Rachel as he picked up her bag and led her to the bench near the roof top door. He had her sit down. He watched as her complexion started to look better. He squeezed her shoulder gently. He knew she was under extreme stress, he just hadn't realized how much. She was so good at keeping her feelings locked up and acting as if she was just fine. He meant it when he told her he needed her. He'd meant physically at the time. But, when he saw her stepping on that edge - he realized he just _needed_ her. She helped him remain in control, helped him believe that he would be with his family again.

They both looked up as Commander Cartwright stepped out of the door. He headed straight to them with a very unnerving grin. He had another man with him, who was carrying a case.

"Isn't it nice outside this morning?" Cartwright looked between the two of them. He indicated for the man to open the case. "We've figured out a way to keep you from running off." he grinned at Khan.

The man took out a metal bracelet and indicated for Khan to hold out his hand.

Khan held out his hand and the man clasped the bracelet around his right wrist. It clicked loudly into place. "And just what does this bracelet do? Is it a tracking device? How novel." he said sarcastically.

Cartwright chuckled, "Well, it is a tracking device if we need it - but it can also send out an electrical impulse that will render you unconscious."

Khan's eyes narrowed.

Cartwright moved over to Rachel and indicated for her to give him her hand.

She stood up and put her shaking hand in his.

Cartwright smiled at her nervousness as the other bracelet was put on her wrist. He patted her hand before she pulled it away from him. He nodded to the man.

The man flipped a switch and one of the lights on both of their bracelets started to blink in synch.

Cartwright indicated for the man to leave.

Khan was frowning - why were both of their bracelets blinking at the same time?

Cartwright chuckled, "Just to make it clear - you can not go anywhere without her, and these bracelets will make sure of it."

"What will happen?" Rachel questioned as her stomach started to knot up. The sick, perverted man looked like he was going to explode with giddiness.

Cartwright smiled, "You two are now leashed. One hundred feet is your limit. If you start to get too far away, the second light will start blinking and you'll start to feel a warm sensation at your wrist. Get too close to your limit and it will start to pulsate. Before you know it, you'll get zapped and fall unconscious." He watched as he saw the furry start to build up in Khan.

Rachel stepped between Khan and Cartwright. She looked at Cartwright carefully, "I don't think this will help the situation. Take them off."

Cartwright looked over Rachel slowly. He sighed softly, maybe she was right. Maybe they really didn't need a leash. His eyes widened slightly as he realized she was trying to persuade him. He snatched her wrist, "I told you what would happen to you if you tried to manipulate me again!"

Rachel nodded slowly as she felt Khan at her back.

They glanced up as the shuttle arrived and started to land.

Cartwright let go of her wrist, "You'd better be damn glad that you're already expected on the station - or I'd keep you here with me." He looked between the two of them, "The Admiral expects his first update in two days." he told Khan.

Khan nodded as he picked up their bags. The door to the shuttle opened and he nudged for Rachel to go ahead and get on. He turned to Cartwright as Rachel got on the shuttle, "Don't threaten her again."

Cartwright smiled slowly, "I won't have to. Have fun." He turned and headed back in the building, he stopped when he was a few feet away. "By the way, there are quite a few remotes that go with those bracelets." He pressed a button in his hand and smiled as Khan dropped to his knees in pain. He watched with satisfaction as Khan took a few moments to get back up. Khan looked furious and took a step closer to him. "Ah, ah, ah." Cartwright waved the button slightly. "Remember, you two are leashed. I'm sure you could take another jolt, but can she?" he raised an eyebrow.

Khan blinked. _Rachel._ He quickly raced into the shuttle. She was on the floor, her body twitching slightly. He dropped the bags down and kneeled beside her. _Damn Cartwright!_ He looked back as the shuttle door closed and started to lift off. He looked to the cockpit and noted the doors were sealed. They had probably been instructed to not open the doors - no matter what happened. He picked her up and sat her down on the bench, then sat down beside her. He wrapped his arm around her to keep her from falling over.

A few minutes later she started to come out of her haze, "Jeez - what was that?" she blinked rapidly as she noted Khan removed his arm from around her.

"Cartwright decided to give us a demonstration of what a jolt felt like." Khan said quietly.

Rachel frowned, "But we weren't that far apart."

"They have remotes too."

Rachel nodded slowly. _Of course they did._ She looked at the bracelet and sighed.

XXXXX

TBC.

Reviews are greatly appreciated!


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